Latest news with #HouseofRepresentatives
Libya Review
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Libya Review
Libyan Parliament Criticises US Deportation Plan
The Foreign Affairs Committee of Libya's House of Representatives has strongly condemned reported attempts by the United States to deport migrants and individuals with criminal records to Libya, calling the move a 'blatant violation of national sovereignty.' In a statement issued on Wednesday, the committee declared its outright rejection of what it described as an 'unacceptable intervention in Libya's internal affairs,' asserting that any attempt to force the country to accept individuals involved in crimes or legal violations constitutes a breach of international diplomatic norms. 'We categorically refuse any efforts to impose individuals who pose a criminal or security threat onto Libyan soil, regardless of their nationality or legal status,' the committee stated. The warning comes amid reports that US authorities are considering deporting individuals who entered the country illegally and were later found guilty of criminal activity, with Libya reportedly listed among the potential destination countries. The committee stressed that any unilateral action by US government agencies to repatriate individuals to Libya would be met with firm political resistance. 'Should this measure be implemented, we will recommend the adoption of serious political countermeasures, which may escalate if necessary,' the statement warned. Libya, it added, 'must not be treated as a dumping ground for the domestic problems of other nations,' criticising what it called the 'insistence on treating Libya as a convenient outlet for internal burdens faced by the US.' The committee reiterated that such actions would undermine Libya's sovereignty, disrupt fragile diplomatic relations, and pose significant risks to national security. The House committee called on all state institutions to closely monitor the issue and prepare a unified response to safeguard Libya's territorial integrity and legal independence. Tags: Deportationlibyamigrantsus
Ya Biladi
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Sahara : Polisario fires five projectiles on Es-Smara
On Friday, June 27, armed militias of the Polisario launched five missiles on the city of Es-Smara. «The projectiles caused no casualties or material damage. They landed a few kilometers from the Rbite neighborhood, prompting an immediate state of alert across the city», a Moroccan security source told Yabiladi. A media outlet affiliated with the Polisario claimed there were «explosions at Moroccan military positions in Es-Smara». The attack comes just 48 hours after a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to designate the Polisario as a terrorist organization. The last Polisario attack targeting civilians in Morocco dates back to November 8, 2024, in Al Mahbes. On that day, four projectiles were fired near tents sheltering Sahrawi civilians celebrating the 49th anniversary of the Green March. No casualties were reported.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Is Trump's Best Chance To Influence Fiscal Policy This Year
Fiscal policy in the second half of 2025 will be dominated by the fate of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" tax and spending bill being debated in Congress. The bill will make sweeping changes to the federal budget, including extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and reducing spending on Medicaid. Members of Congress have imposed a July 4 deadline to pass the bill, but face a major second half of 2025 could start off with a bang for fiscal policy as Congress faces a July 4 deadline to pass the "One Big Beautiful Bill" tax and spending bill. President Donald Trump pushed for the Republicans to pass the reconciliation bill by next week in time for Independence Day, warning senators not to go on vacation until it's passed. The bill, a version of which was passed by the House of Representatives last month, extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts which were set to expire at the end of the year and introduces other tax breaks. It also cuts spending on SNAP food aid and Medicaid, the government's health insurance program for people with low incomes. Estimates have found it would add trillions to federal spending deficits over the next 10 reconciliation bill represents the biggest opportunity for the Trump administration to change fiscal policy over the course of the year. Republicans only have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats have enough votes in that chamber to block most other legislation using the filibuster rule. Reconciliation allows bills to avoid the filibuster, but can only be used once a year, and has other restrictions. The bill faces some obstacles to passage. Several Republican senators have said they are skeptical of the legislation because of its cuts to Medicaid, according to reporting by The Hill. The bill in its current form is unpopular: a Fox News poll conducted in mid-June showed 59% of U.S. adults opposed it while only 38% supported of Friday, the bill was undergoing major overhauls, and its passage by July 4 was far from certain. In one major change this week, the Senate's Parliamentarian, a nonpartisan advisor, said the reconciliation bill could not include several provisions, including one of the proposed Medicaid cutbacks. Trump, speaking to reporters at a press conference Friday, said the Independence Day deadline was "not the end all" but that he would like to have it done by the deadline. Trump has reportedly been calling individual senators, encouraging them to quickly pass the the Senate passes its version of the bill, the next step would be for the two chambers of Congress to hammer out the differences and put the final version on Trump's desk to sign. The administration does have several other ways to influence fiscal policy this year. The White House is pushing for spending rescissions, clawing back money that Congress previously authorized to be spent, which can also be done without being subject to a filibuster. Trump and his DOGE cost-cutting task force have canceled programs and contracts and virtually shut down entire departments without approval from Congress. This rescission bill would essentially allow Congress to approve some of those reductions. However, opponents have challenged many of the unapproved cuts as unconstitutional, and legal cases are proceeding through the courts. Read the original article on Investopedia
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Congress can't just hand over the checkbook to the executive branch
At a recent House Appropriations Committee markup, something happened that should alarm every American, especially those who believe in accountability. I introduced a simple amendment. All it said was that Congress, not the president, decides how taxpayer money is spent. That is not a radical idea. It is in the Constitution. It is our job. So I asked my Republican colleagues: Are we a co-equal branch of government? Do we still control how money gets spent? Their answer was no. They voted against the amendment. Just imagine that. Members of Congress voting to give up the very job they were elected to do. The Appropriations Committee exists to decide how your tax dollars are used. That has been the job of Congress since the beginning of the republic. It is written into Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution. Since 1974, federal law has made it even clearer. Congress decides where the money goes. Not the president. Not unelected officials. Congress. Past presidents, even when they disagreed with Congress, recognized that spending decisions had to come from lawmakers. They did not always like it, but they respected it. What we are seeing now is different. President Trump's team is saying they can simply cancel funding that Congress already approved. That is new. That is dangerous. That is illegal. That is why I offered the amendment. It was not a stunt. It was not partisan. It was a reminder of what we were sent here to do. If Congress does not stand up now, we may never get this responsibility back. We manage $2 trillion a year. If we do not do our jobs, someone else will. And that someone will not be elected or accountable to the people. So I ask my Republican colleagues. What are you afraid of? When you vote to give up your job, you are not just weakening Congress. You are letting down the roughly 750,000 people you swore to represent. And for what? Political loyalty? Fear? I think about the generations of lawmakers who served on the House Appropriations Committee. Republicans and Democrats alike understood the weight of their responsibility. They did not walk away from it. They defended it. That is what I am doing now. Because this is not about party. It is about whether the House of Representatives still represents the people. Or whether we have become irrelevant. We must remember our role before it's too late. Mike Levin represents California's 49th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
6 hours ago
- Politics
Former Montana US Rep Pat Williams, who won a liberal- conservative showdown, dies at 87
HELENA, Mont. -- Pat Williams, a New Deal-style Democrat who won Montana's great liberal-conservative showdown of 1992 to become the state's lone voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, died Wednesday. He was 87. Williams died in Missoula of natural causes, family spokesperson Matt McKenna said Thursday. John Patrick Williams represented the western half Montana from 1979 to 1997. When the 1990 census eliminated one of two House seats the state held since 1912, Williams captured the new statewide district in a bruising race against the longtime eastern-district representative, Republican Ron Marlenee. The 51% majority was the slimmest of Williams' congressional career — and the first election defeat in Marlenee's 16-year career. The matchup was billed as a classic liberal-conservative confrontation and a microcosm of political battles being waged throughout the West over control of the land and its resources. It was a bitter, hard-fought contest — each man spent more than $1 million — and Williams said quickly after his victory that he would work to bring the state together. Williams first tried for the congressional seat in 1974, but he lost to fellow Democrat Max Baucus. Williams was elected to the post in 1978 when Baucus moved to the U.S. Senate. By the time of the face-off with Marlenee, Williams was a deputy whip in the House. He was an unabashed liberal, a staunch advocate for organized labor and a believer in the potential of government to help people. That won him the enmity of conservative groups such as Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition. Williams defended the National Endowment for the Arts against pornography charges and opposed proposed constitutional amendments to outlaw abortion and flag desecration and to require a balanced budget. He opposed U.S. military intervention in the 1991 Gulf War and wanted post-Cold War defense savings to be used for public works projects. Williams tried to take a middle road in one of Montana's most divisive issues, wilderness, and environmental groups generally gave him strong support. He said the argument of jobs versus the environment presented a false choice because the state could not have one without the other. 'A clean environment ... has been and will be an absolute cash register for this state,' he said in 1992. His family said in a statement that Williams spent his life protecting wild lands and defending the working poor, arts, Native people and children with disabilities. 'He believed government could be a force for good, and that culture, wilderness, and education were not luxuries — but rights,' the statement said. After he left the House in 1997, Williams started teaching at the University of Montana, including courses in environmental studies, history and political science. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte recalled Williams as a 'dedicated public servant.' 'As Montana's longest-serving congressman, Pat championed Montana's interests, working to find common ground for nearly 20 years in Washington,' Gianforte said. Williams' wife, Carol, was the first woman to become minority leader in the state Senate. They have a son Griff, and two daughters, Erin and Whitney. Williams' cousin was daredevil Evel Knievel. Williams received a bachelor's degree from the University of Denver and a teaching degree from Western Montana College. Born Oct. 30, 1937, in Helena, Williams grew up in the mining city of Butte, and its traditionally Democratic unionized workforce was a major element of his power base. He taught in the Butte public schools for seven years, and the combination earned him a spot on the House Education and Labor Committee. Williams served in the Montana House in the 1967 and 1969 sessions. In 1968 he headed the Montana presidential campaign for Hubert Humphrey. He did the same in 1976 for Jimmy Carter. Williams got a firsthand look at Washington, D.C., from 1969 to 1971 when he worked as executive assistant to Montana Democratic U.S. Rep. John Melcher. Williams returned to Montana in 1971 and spent seven years as state head of the federally funded Montana Family Education Program, a career program for disadvantaged people. Williams will lie in state at the Montana State Capitol in Helena on Wednesday and Thursday.
